AUSTIN, Texas -- Furman junior Carson Williams advanced to the 3,000m Steeplechase finals Wednesday in the opening day of the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, Texas.

A native of Raleigh, N.C., Williams finished sixth in his heat and tenth overall with a time of 8:39.92 in Wednesday's semifinals, becoming one of 12 athletes to reach the finals, which will be held Friday at 9:24 p.m. ET.  The top five finishers in each heat plus the athletes with the next two best times moved on to the finals.

Williams, who competed in the Steeplechase at the NCAA East Preliminaries for the third-consecutive year, posted a season-best time of 8:38.40 to take third both in his heat and overall, advancing automatically to the semifinals.  He entered the preliminaries ranked 13th in the East after recording a time of 8:43.56 at the EKU Rick Erdmann Twilight.  

He finished fourth in the event at last year's NCAA East Preliminaries and went on to earn an All-America citation with a 16th-place finish at the 2022 NCAA Championships.  The reigning SoCon Champion in the Steeplechase, Williams holds a personal-best time of 8:37.65, which he recorded at the 2022 Lee University Last Chance meet.

The top eight finishers in Friday's finals will be deemed first team All-Americans, with finishers nine through 12 earning second team All-America accolades.  

The championships are being broadcast live on ESPN2 each day.  A full schedule with live results can be found at https://flashresults.ncaa.com/Outdoor/2023/index.htm.  

NCAA Championships (All times noted are Eastern Standard Time) 

Wednesday

Men's 3,000m Steeplechase Semifinals - Carson Williams - 10th (8:39.92)

Friday

9:24 p.m. Men's 3,000m Steeplechase Finals